Positioning and supporting device for car couplers



V. E. SISSON April 18, 1950 POSITI ONING AND SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Oct. 31, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Apr. 18, 1950 2504;893 POSITIONING SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLER'S Vinton E. .Sisson, Ghicago, Ill-.,"a s sig nor to Stand- I ard. Rai1way Equipment Manufacturing, Company, Chicago, 111;, acorporation of. Delaware.

application October 31, 1946, .SriaINOJZ -OESJKGE This; invention relates to coupler supporting: and: positioning devices 1 for? railway" car couplers, and; more: particularly to means to: swingably/ and resiliently'support a railway car coupler in such manner that when thecoupleris uncoupled,

saidcoupler is maintainedhy the'device in1substantially the longitudinal central plane'of the" car, or "in what is known 'in the. trade as coupling range. a

More" specifically 'the'd'evice comprise's'acowpler carrier pivotally supported at its end by links which are pivotall'y, swingahly; resiliently, and

preferably adjustably' supported intermediate their ends; from a member adapted to'befiked to a" railway car, such as' a striking castin'g, as shown in the drawings. To providesuch a deviceforso supporting acoupler and maintaining:

it -when uncoupled within said couplingran'ge is the principal object of the invention;

Broadly, such a device is" shown and claimed in my copending applications, Serial No. 706,982 Seria No. 706,983; Serial no. 706,984,- andseriali No; 706,985, and theclaimsherein-are acc'o'rdinglt restricted to the invention illustrated and described herein.

Another ob ect' of the invention is to providesuch a cushioned coupler support" andpositionin'g device wherein should the cushioning means in-the cushioning meansis not distorted during the swinging of the device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide" such a cushioned coupler carrier and positioning device wherein provision is made for adjust ng the height" ofthecarrierand thereby the coupler to be supported thereby above the top of the rail without affectingthe resiliencyof said cushioning. means. v

The term resilient means), as used in the specification and claims, is intended to cover springs ,"'rubber or" any otherresilient material; Most of the'sematerials, if" intermittently com:- pressed to excess progressively lose their effectiveness, and, consequently, it is a further object of the invention to provide means to limit the compression of said resilient means.

40mins; (o1. Hit-'61) In thedrawings:

Figure-.1. is auhalf section, partly. inelevations on line l---'l of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is an. end view of. the device.

Figure. 3is' aview similar to Figure 1 with'the. coupler moved laterally.

Figures 4, 5, 6 and '7 are, respectively, top plan side view, end view,-andsection on line 1-1, Figure 4:, of-thetrunnioned support for the-de Figures 8 and 9 are, respectively, plan and: side views of the springcap.

Figures 10 and 11- are, respectively, ,plan and). side views of the springseat.

Figures 12, 13" and 14 are, respectively, end view, side view'an'dsection: on line I 4- l 4, Figure: 12 of the-coupler carrier links.

Figureu15 isa top plan view of one end of th'ew coupler carrier.

Figure 16 is a view similar to Figures 1 and '3 showing the device as it would appearwithout the cushioning means, .yet still functioning as a: coupler support and positioningdevice;

The device comprises a pair of spaced plates I and 2, maintained in' spaced relation by webs 35 and textending'between said plates and either cast integral therewith-or 'welded thereto as preferred. Plates" 1 and? are of rectangular form;. each: having a central rectangular opening" 5"- therein, through which extends'the shank 6- on theicoupler; which is. longitudinally, laterally andl vertically movable therein, as is common. Web: 42 is continuous from: substantially side to side of the device :a'djacentithebottom thereof, whereas'web 3 extends about the upperedge anddo wm th'e' sides about halfw'aytothe openings 5; and

half bearings 8 adapted to receive the trunnions 9 of the s ring seat supporting member, the central portion of which is upset and provided" with an elongated rectangular eye In, the elongat tion being at right angles to the axis of' the trunnion.

'Up'on this trunnion support member rests the annular spring seat ll, 'it'also having an clon gat'edYhole if! therethrcugh. The upper surface-'- of-"springseat' is-recessed so as to receivethe lower, convolution of the coil spring I 3, upon which. rests the spring cap l4, also annular in formand provided withan axial hole $5. The supporting link for each side of the device is shown at It and com-prises a link-like member having a T-shaped head providing oppositely portions I!) when it is given a 90 turn so that if the spring breaks, portions l9 will then rest upon the spring seat and maintain the device in position to at least support and position the coupler. This possibility of the spring being broken and lost is illustrated in .Figure 16, showing that the device would nevertheless still func-= tion as a coupler support and positioning device. Integral lugs 30 are formed on spring seat ll so as to project within the ends of opening Ill and thereby hold said spring seat from accidentally rotating.

A nut 20 is applied to the screw threaded end of the link [6 to hold the parts in their assembled relation and to provide adjustment for the device. I

The coupler carrier is shown at 2| and is installed between the striker walls I and 2 and extends from side to side thereof just above the web 4, and is designed to support the coupler 6. The ends of the coupler support 2! are bifurcated so as to straddle the shank of link l6, and each prong 22 thereof is formed with a concaved bearing portion designed to rest upon one of the tapered trunnions I! and be resiliently supported thereon, which support will permit lateral angling of the coupler and its support 2|. Depending reinforcing webs 23 are provided on opposite sides of the carrier to strengthen the same, and similarly upstanding webs 24 are provided on opposite sides of the coupler shank, said webs 24 occurring in plane with the walls of the bifurcation. (See Fig. 15.) Thus webs 24 insure that the carrier moves laterally with the coupler during any lateral angling thereof. Consequently, when the coupler 6 moves laterally the carrier 2| will be carried therewith causing the links 6 to swing on the bearings of prongs 22, and since the carrier is supported through the springs !3, the coupler is cushioned on its support, and the springs absorb all ordinary road shocks.

The size and tension of the spring is such as to hold'the weight of the coupler and carrier in a position approximating that shown in Figure 1, with the lateral portions IQ of the link about one-half inch above the spring seat I i which acts as a stop'in cases when abnormal road'shocks would draw the coupler and'carrier down until portions l9 contacted the seat II. This contact or stopping of further downward movement saves the spring from abnormal compression and enhances its life materially.

The accompany drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a device to swingably and resiliently support a coupler carrier from a member adapted to be fixed to a car and provided with spaced bearings at each end of said member, a trunnioned support adapted to be pivotally supported by said bearings at one end of said member, a seat resting upon said support, resilient means upon said seat, a cap upon said resilient means, a link passing between said bearings, through said support, said seat, said spring and said cap, and having pivotal connection with an end of a coupler carrier, and means for holding said cap, resilient means, seat and support in operative relationship.

2. Means to swingably and resiliently support a coupler carrier from a member adapted to be fixed to a car and provided with spaced bearings at each end of said member, said means comprising trumiioned supports, each of said supports being adapted to be pivotally supported by respective bearings at each end of said member, a spring seat resting upon each support, resilient means upon each seat, a spring cap upon each resilient means, a link passing between each of said respective bearings, through each of said supports, seats, springs and caps respectively, and having pivotal connection with an end of a coupler carrier, a stop on each of said links adapted to engage its respective seat to limit the compression of its respective resilient means without afiecting the swingable support of said carrier, and means for holding said cap, resilient means, seat and support in operative relationship.

3. In a device to swingably and resiliently support a coupler carrier from a member adapted to be fixed to a car and provided with spaced bearings, a link extending between said bearings and,

adapted to swingably suspend said carrier from said member about said link and, a trunnionedsupporting member, adapted to be supported in said spaced bearings a cap on the upper end of said link, and resilient means about said link and, interposed between said cap and said supporting member, to resiliently suspend said carrier, whereby said carrier may move vertically and laterally with said coupler.

4. In a device to swingably and resiliently support a coupler carrier from a member adapted to be fixed to a car and provided with spaced bearings at. each end of said member, a link pivotally connected to one end of said carrier and passing between said bearings, a trunnioned support having .an opening therethrough through which said link extends, and adapted to be pivotally supported by said bearings, a seat about said link and resting upon said support, a cap adjustably mounted upon said link, resilient means about said link, between said seat and cap, and means on said link normally held by said resilient means in spaced relation from said seat to limit the compression of said resilient means without affecting the swingable support of the carrier.

VINTONIE. SISSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

